Cooperation, Tenacity, Technology: New Year's First Mission Leads to Arizona Crash Site Find
The first mission assigned to Civil Air Patrol for 2022 came just as revelers were celebrating the arrival of the new year. The resulting search ended 2½ days later with the discovery of a crashed airplane and a deceased pilot — not the result anyone wanted, but a source of closure for family and friends.
The mission involved a missing plane reported overdue on its flight from Marana, Arizona, northwest of Tucson, to Riverside, California, and proved to be a real challenge for CAP.
Over three days, 42 Arizona Wing members and six planes supported 11 search flights and two transport flights totaling nearly 33 hours in the air. All support functions for the mission occurred virtually, including the incident management team and mission radio operators working from home using five repeaters around the state. CAP's National Radar Analysis and Cell Phone Forensics teams also played key roles from their vantage points.
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COVID Concerns Affect Legislative Day Plans |
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January signals the start of Civil Air Patrol’s annual effort to tell Congress what amazing things CAP accomplished in the past year. For National Legislative Day, wing representatives typically visit most of Congress in late February, with up to 500 members participating in person. During these meetings, CAP informs and educates Congress about its volunteers, missions, and programs across the nation. Many members look forward to participating every year, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for cadets to see how government operates at the highest level.
Because of COVID-19, CAP adopted an approach to ensure member safety. Last year members visited 85% of the congressional offices virtually, truly an outstanding accomplishment. This year, CAP is planning a hybrid campaign with mostly virtual meetings being conducted by all 52 wings but still with a select few in-person meetings if possible, in conjunction with the Winter Command Council meeting.
If health conditions allow, CAP will hold the Command Council meeting but only council members or their proxy and select national staff will be authorized travel to Washington, D.C., to support in-person National Legislative Day meetings.
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Space Station Crew Answers Cadets' Questions |
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Aboard the international space station, NASA Expedition 66 Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron answered pre-recorded questions Jan. 4 from Nevada Wing cadets during an in-flight education event.
Chari and Barron are in the midst of a six-month long science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
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CAP Assists with Snow-Related Highway Problems |
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Two Virginia Wing aircrews flew surveys Jan. 4 of roads between Richmond and Quantico for the state Department of Emergency Management and Department of Transportation.
The state departments called on the wing after the region’s heaviest recorded snowfall in several years created widespread traffic jams and other problems. More than a foot of snow fell in some areas.
Fourteen wing members participated, including two aircrews from the Leesburg and Southside composite squadrons that flew low-level routes to photograph road conditions and automobile accidents, traffic jams, road damage and debris, stranded motorists and individuals in distress, pedestrians on highways or other significant issues such as downed power lines.
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New York Members Assist at COVID Test Distribution |
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More than 20 members of the New York Wing’s South Central Group braved the dark and cold to distribute at-home COVID-19 tests to those who needed them, traveling to Ostiningo Park in Binghamton at 6:30 a.m. — an hour before sunrise — in 9-degree temperatures.
The members, some as young as 12, were responding for the second time in a week to the Broome County Office of Emergency Services’ request for assistance with test distribution.
“We could not have done this without them,” said Patrick Dewing, Broome County director of emergency services.
Over 20,000 test kits were distributed, with the South Central Group contingent accounting for about half of them.
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Did you know that #CivilAirPatrol operates two hot air balloons for training new pilots, exposing the public to lighter-than-air flight, and providing cadet orientation rides? That fact made the social media rounds Sunday on National Balloon Ascension Day.
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Most Popular CAP Social Media Posts of the Past Year |
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Speaking of social media, the metrics for Civil Air Patrol's Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram improved greatly in 2021.
The Marketing and Strategic Communications team identified some noteworthy social media posts from the past year that helped deliver CAP's message of serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.
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Convert NESA-MTT Courses into College Credit |
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On Jan. 4, CAP signed a Collegiate Matriculation Agreement with Frederick Community College in Maryland for the transfer of some National Emergency Services Academy-Mobile Training Team (NESA-MTT) delivered courses into college semester hours. |
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The arrangement includes up to nine semester hours of college credit.
Both senior and cadet members can:
- Establish college enrollment and a transcript of courses through the college.
- Receive no-cost college course credit from attendance at recognized NESA-MTT delivered courses, to be used toward completion of an associate degree in emergency management.
- Receive no-cost college course credit from attendance at recognized NESA-MTT delivered courses, to be used toward completion of a Certificate in Emergency Management.
- Be accepted into the college as in-state residents, without being charged nonresident fees.
In addition, cadets 16 years and older can be duel-enrolled in high school and college.
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It's Not Too Late to Participate in the CFC |
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There 's still time to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign and support Civil Air Patrol (CFC ID #24876). Make your gift between now and Jan. 15 and be the face of change.
You might be wondering: Why should I give through the CFC? Here are three great reasons:
- Give through payroll deduction. Designate recurring gifts from each paycheck for a greater impact over time.
- Make your charitable donation and pledge volunteer hours in one place.
- Give for collective impact. The world is a better place when changemakers like us give together.
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CAP's Cadet Program Seeking Your Input |
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The Annual Cadet Survey helps CAP's cadet community make sense of how the cadet program is actually operating in hometown squadrons. It’s an important tool for learning how to improve cadet life.
Cadets, parents, commanders, and cadet program officers were invited to participate via email Jan. 5 and 11. Check your spam folder if you didn't receive an email, and please see the survey homepage for more information.
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Priority Deadline Approaching for NCSAs, NFAs |
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The deadline to submit a priority, on-time cadet participant (not staff) National Cadet Special Activities or National Flight Academy application via the eServices Registration and Payment screen is Jan 15 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Submissions after that are marked late and considered after all on-time applicants.
The application remains open, and you may apply at any time up to the day before the event. However, if you make any changes to the application after the cutoff — to add a preference, reorder preferences, or even add a staff choice — it will result in everything being marked late. If you need to make changes after the cutoff, contact ncsa@cap.gov for assistance.
Most activities require encampment recorded in your personnel file's eServices Cadet Activities training section, but a few don't. Check out the individual ad pages on ncsas.com for activities you're interested in to see their requirements.
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Last Call to Sign Up for Group Command Seminar |
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Have you ever considered being a Group Commander one day? Ever wonder what a Group Commander's role and responsibilities are? Wish you had an opportunity to learn more? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," then you should consider registering now for a virtual seminar hosted by CAP's Mentoring Program later this month.
The purpose of the seminar is to provide information to members interested in being a Group Commander. The seminar will be presented on two Saturdays, Jan. 22 and 29. Each session will consist of a variety of topics important to the success of being a Group Commander, including Group and Wing department interactions. Several topics will be eligible for Volunteer University level module credit.
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The New Mexico Wing is taking the stage for “This Week in CAP History.”
In 1968, Cadet Michael Brennan, cadet commander of the Santa Fe squadron, had the opportunity to work toward his private pilot certificate when he was selected to attend the 1968 National Flying Encampment, a precursor to CAP's National Flight Academies. Cadets had opportunities to participate in ground school, learning about airplane mechanics in a classroom environment, and receive flight instruction.
Since then, more opportunities have opened for cadets to gain valuable aerospace education. Each summer, CAP hosts a number of National Cadet Special Activities dedicated to flying, including National Flight Academies offering cadets flight instruction, classroom education, and in some cases a chance to fly solo. get a chance to fly solo at these academies.
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Operation Pulse Lift
Every unit of blood collected through the combined efforts of Civil Air Patrol volunteers saves three lives. During its 21-month response to COVID-19, Operation Pulse Lift has collected this number of units:
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Operation Pulse Lift's new COVID-19 stretch goal is 10,000 units by Feb. 14. |
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CAP Marketing & Strategic Communications
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